Farming In British Columbia podcast

18:54

Herein: part of my conversation with Jerome Lenkeek, Senior Policy & Market Analyst with the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission , who gave me an interview to fill in some gaps that Lillian Pusch and I didn't cover in our conversation in episode 28. In this segment of our conversation, Jerome explains how exemptions work within BC's Vegetable Scheme, which is kind of cool name for the regulatory system that oversees the orderly marketing of veggies in BC. I really wanted to include this segment because I was a small-scale veggie producer for around ten years and for most of that time was unaware that I was bumping up against regulated production limits for certain crops. Based on what Jerome told me, I probably should have applied for a license in a couple of cases! Maybe you should too!…

Farming in British Columbia

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A Tariff-Adjacent Conversation About BC's Veggie Marketing Commission 58:43

7 giorni fa58:43

58:43

My guest today is Lillian Posch, General Manager of Okanagan Grown Produce Ltd ., a veggie marketing agency located in Vernon. Marketing agencies like OGP play an important role in the orderly marketing of BC Vegetables. For those unfamiliar with the term, Orderly Marketing is the weaker yet earnest cousin of Supply Management. And in BC, it's the term we use to describe a legislated regulatory scheme that organizes the production of a whole bunch of vegetable crops. All of which is overseen by the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission. You should listen to this because a lot of our conversation is relevant to the trade war we now find ourselves in. And because Lillian is a delight to listen to. Contacting Jordan (hot tip: put my number in your phone for future messaging!) 250 767 6636 podcast@farminginbc.ca…

Farming in British Columbia

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Setting the Peace on Fire on Purpose 48:40

21 giorni fa48:40

48:40

Today on the show, a tip from a listener takes me up to Northern BC, where some farmers and their co-conspirators are playing with fire! My guest is rangeland agrologist Nadia Mori, the coordinator of the Peace River Forage Association . She joined me to talk about her role as the coordinator of the Peace River Forage Association and a couple of its current projects. One explores the potential benefits of prescribed burning of pasture lands; the other gives farmers the tools and knowledge to fight wildfires on the farm. Nadia's media production company is called Fairfield Productions Contacting Jordan (hot tip: put my number in your phone for future messaging!) 250 767 6636 podcast@farminginbc.ca…

Farming in British Columbia

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Farmers Appraise their Farmers Markets 1:05:03

5 weeks fa1:05:03

1:05:03

Today on the podcast, a return to a topic that, if download numbers are any indication, many of you are interested in. Way back in episode six of the show I released an episode I titled The Current State of BC’s Farmers Markets . It featured an interview with the board chair of the BC Association of Farmers Markets. And Wylie and I did talk about the state of BC’s Farmer’s Markets in that episode, but given its popularity in my podcast feed, I decided I’d like to take another crack at this subject, only ideally, this time around I’d talk about farmers markets with the farmers who attend them. I wanted to ask them how it’s going, what the vibe at their market is like, and whether they’re committed to their farmers’ market for the long haul. Over the last week, I spoke with six farmers from around the province, and you’re about to hear from all of them.…

Farming in British Columbia

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A Minister's Mandate (Or: Lana's Letter) 38:41

7 weeks fa38:41

38:41

Today on the show, BC’s recently re-elected premier David Eby finally issued mandate letters for his new cabinet, so I asked a politically-minded farmer to join me to talk about what’s contained in the one for our brand new but also returning Minister of Agriculture and Food, Lana Popham. We reference the BC Ag Council's Strategic Priorities released during the last BC election. Here's that document. Contacting Jordan (hot tip: put my number in your phone for future messaging!) 250 767 6636 podcast@farminginbc.ca…

Farming in British Columbia

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BONUS: GAP Certification: A Barrier & an Opportunity 36:37

8 weeks fa36:37

36:37

Hey everyone! This is Jordan with some bonus listening for you. As you may know, I’m the producer and host of The Organic BC Podcast, and over there, I’ve been busy producing a miniseries about whether GAP certification is a viable option for small-scale farmers who want to gain, preserve, or expand access to wholesale marketing channels. You’re about to hear episode one of that series, exactly as it dropped on The Organic BC podcast feed. If you like it, you can go find the organic BC podcast and listen to episode two right now, and episodes three through five will drop over the next few weeks. One quick additional note is that I produced this series about GAP certification under a paid contract, but I was not paid to cross-post what you’re about to hear on my other two podcasts, Farming in British Columbia and The Ruminant. I’m posting episode one of the series here because I think it’s good and because the topic is relevant to a lot of my listeners.…

Farming in British Columbia

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The Queen Bee (Breeder) of Spallumcheen 33:08

9 weeks fa33:08

33:08

This episode, Emily Huxter of Wild Antho (and also episode one of this podcast) is back. The first time around, I had too much good tape to work with so I omitted this chunk of our conversation, which is about the practice and business of breeding & selling queen bees. I learned a lot about bee love-making, and now you will, too. Contacting Jordan (hot tip: put my number in your phone for future messaging!) 250 767 6636 podcast@farminginbc.ca…

Farming in British Columbia

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Emergent Ag Pests and How We Repond 50:55

13 weeks fa50:55

50:55

In this episode, I hope to give you a sense of how our agricultural community responds to emergent agricultural pests, with a focus on the activities of BC’s Ministry of agriculture. Later on in the episode, you’re going to hear a conversation I just recorded with Susanna Acheompong, an extension entomologist with the BC Ministry of Agriculture based in Kelowna. Susanna spends a lot of her time focused on the detection, monitoring, impact, and management of emergent agricultural pests in the southern interior, and she joined me to give us an update about two pests in particular: the western yellow striped armyworm and the western corn rootworm. My interest in this topic began when I found an emergent pest on my farm in Armstrong. I had recently read a bulletin about the detection of the western corn rootworm in the North Okanagan, and lo and behold, I found a couple of specimens in my own corn crop that October. I reported my discovery to BC Ministry of Ag Extension Agrologist Susanna Acheampong (Susanna.Acheampong@gov.bc.ca), and that led to sitting down for a couple of interviews with her, a year apart. BC Ministry of Ag Bulletin on Western Yellowstriped Armyworm BC Ministry of Ag Bulletin on Western Corn Rootworm…

Farming in British Columbia

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An Argument For Cleaning While You Cook 16:03

15 weeks fa16:03

16:03

This episode features a score called Italian Opera by Steve Oxen with an open source license.

Farming in British Columbia

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Why don't BC's farmers cooperate more? 55:14

17 weeks fa55:14

55:14

This episode: when my guest was an urban farmer in Vancouver in the 2010s, she co-founded a marketing co-operative with her colleagues to streamline her produce sales. Intrigued by the problem-solving potential of cooperative business structures, she went on to obtain her Masters degree--and then her PhD--studying farming cooperatives in Japan. Emi Do currently works for Young Agrarians as its co-op coordinator . She joined me for a conversation about growing produce in Vancouver backyards, her studies of Japan's food system, and why co-ops are much less common in BC's food system.…

Farming in British Columbia

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Accessing Farmland When It's Too Damned Expensive 1:00:01

20 weeks fa1:00:01

1:00:01

This episode, a couple of conversations inspired by an invitation I received to moderate a panel on Farmland Accessibility at the Columbia Basin Food & Buyers Expo in Nakusp later this week. In this episode, you’re going to hear from two of the three panelists who’ll be joining me in Nakusp to talk about innovative strategies for accessing farmland. Much of BC’s farmland is the most expensive in Canada by a longshot, and thus the outright purchase of land for farming is prohibitive for many people with aspirations to start a farm or expand the one they already have. Guest #1: Colin Dring , Researcher, Royal Rhodes University Guest #2: Darcy Smith , BC Program Manager with Young AgrariansI If you’re going to be at the Columbia Basin Food and Buyers Summit October 24-26th and plan to attend this panel discussion, there will be a lengthy Q&A, so please bring any questions with you that the interviews you’re about to hear might inspire.…

Farming in British Columbia

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The Green Party's Vision for Ag in BC 55:47

22 weeks fa55:47

55:47

This ep: FARMERS VOTE 2024! I invited the three major parties to provide a 2024 BC Election candidate to talk to me about agricultural policy; herein, a conversation with the BC Green Party's candidate for Courtenay-Comox, Arzeena Hamir , about the party's vision for Agriculture in BC. Teaser: they'd manage water differently and consider a Basic Income Guarantee for qualified farmers. After that, a quick rebuttal from the conservatives and ndp.…

Farming in British Columbia

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Sisters-in-Laudable Farming Careers: Dairy & Veggies in Mara 55:25

24 weeks fa55:25

55:25

This ep: A long-ranging coversation with four owners of two farms that sit side-by-side in Mara: Louise Bruns and her husband, Hermann, own Wild Flight Veggie Farm . Across the road is Hamberlin Holsteins, owned by Daniela Bruns and her husband, Quentin. Daniela, Louise, Quentin and Hermann sat down with me to talk about how each operation came to be, how their upbringings influenced the farms they would eventually run, intergenerational conflict over competing farming philosophies, and a lot more. Contacting Jordan (hot tip: put my number in your phone for future messaging!) 250 767 6636 podcast@farminginbc.ca…

Farming in British Columbia

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BONUS: BCTF situation was dire for many years, argues my guest 40:43

26 weeks fa40:43

40:43

In this bonus episode of the podcast, farmer, co-op expert and newly minted University of the Fraser Valley faculty member Chris Bodnar describes a BC Tree Fruits Cooperative that was beset with internal problems in the years leading up to BCTF's recent, sudden closure in late July. Chris published a piece on Linkedin that delves deeper than we do. It's good. Read it here.…

Farming in British Columbia

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How's Your Season Going? 1:04:36

27 weeks fa1:04:36